BAO project - ideas in detail

Me again. Here is the full info on what's been going on in my head and in my hands today: 

After deliberating over using clay, fimo, etc... to make an inscribed tablet, and not being able to make my mind up over what book structure to use, and worrying about not being able to live up to the other amazing BAO artist's standards, and spending time in my studio surrounded by all my 'stuff' I suddenly thought to myself "What are you doing?! Do what you enjoy! Make what you like to make, what you find interesting, what you are passionate about! Make an ARCHIVE!"
It is a text about a library after all...




After looking at some photocopy research I had done a few weeks back of Paul Klee's work on pictograms and glyphs and also seeing again the work of Steve McPherson in Sarah Bodman's book Creating Artists' Books I felt overcome with ideas and enthusiasm. 

I want to be able to recreate a fake archive of a researcher who may have used the library at Alexandria at the time the Winterson text is describing. Perhaps in a box, or in a file? I will need to be able to recreate the same archive 15 times so it was important to do a trial run to see what things I will be able to easily reproduce  repeatedly and which I will have to leave out. 

Now these images are of what I have been doing today in my studio. This is a mock up, a run through, a solid sketch. I needed to make what was in my head to see if it actually was going to work. 





I think I know how to go about it now, and it feels so right, so right for this project, so right for me. 

It is going to be so much fun! 

8 comments:

Carol said...

This sounds like you're thinking outside the box but about to put it into an archive box. Brilliant! Can't wait to see how you resolve this - just wish I was doing Winterson as well as Paper Wrestling.

Abigail Thomas said...

Yes out the box, into the box. ;)

Maybe you could do both?

Sara Bowen said...

For some reason the Winterson text has felt very enigmatic to me... not quite revealing how it wanted to manifest itself. I'm fascinated by your thinking processes and really intrigued to see how they come out! Sara x

Abigail Thomas said...

Thanks Sara; I hope it works as well as I imagine and that all the BAO artists enjoy it. Are you still unsure how to progress with it then?

kjsutcliffe said...

I'm intrigued to see what you create and how it turns out !

Abigail Thomas said...

So am I! I am so excited about this. Ideas are teeming in my head. Will post again soon as I have more aspects of the project I want to share.

arlee said...

LOVE this project! Text and textiles are one of my fave combos. Sink the words into the weave and oh deep resonance.....
(I can't comment on your Fibres to Felt blog bythe way, or i'd have left comment there too)

Abigail Thomas said...

Arlee; I still havent worked out why some peeps cant comment on that blog; it doesnt make any sense. . . thanks for taking the time to pop over to this blog to comment instead though!